World Book Night at McCurdy's Comedy Club

For a direct link to the video, click here.

Thanks again to Les McCurdy and McCurdy's Comedy Club for having me out to perform last week on behalf of World Book Night to open for the incredibly energetic and hilarious Dale Jones!  As the mission of World Book Night is to promote reading to light and non-readers, I thought it was the perfect time for me to leave the library and return to the comedy club to do my literary stand-up comedy and surprise the audience with free copies of my favorite book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.  

I can honestly say that I had more fun giving out the books to the audience than I did performing, which is yet another example that I will always be more librarian than comedian, however thanks to creating the phrase Stand-Up Librarian, I can always do both!  After the show, I got a chance to hand out my bookmarks, take pictures, and talk one-on-one with members of the audience and it brought absolute joy to my heart to hear how much they loved seeing a real librarian have fun on stage with books and how grateful they were to receive their free copies...and not have to return them!

As is my mission with Stand-Up Librarian, if something I said gets someone to use the library or pick up a book, I have done my job.  If they laugh or sing "Joyce Around" back to me, well that just means we had some fun too!  

Thanks again to everyone who came out to the show...

Giving comedian Dale Jones a copy
of The Alchemist before the show!

Thanks Les McCurdy!

The first librarian to ever perform
at McCurdy's Comedy Club!

I LOVED giving The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho to the audience.

Celebrate World Book Night at McCurdy's Comedy Club

I've got a busy week ahead full of a variety of shows and appearances including a play, a library staff day, a craft fair, and the one you should not miss - McCurdy's Comedy Club! 

On Wednesday, I will be popping into McCurdy's Comedy Club in Sarasota for a quick 20-minute set in honor of World Book Night to promote reading and give out free books to the audience.  While WBN is actually Tuesday, I am already committed to doing a play, so I figured why not extend the celebration!?!

What is World Book Night you say?  

World Book Night U.S. is an ambitious campaign to give thousands of free, specially printed paperbacks to light or nonreaders across America on one day. Volunteer book lovers help promote reading by going out into their communities and sharing free copies of books they love. The mission of World Book Night is to seek out those without the means or access to printed books.

My mission as the Stand-Up Librarian has always been to educate and entertain people about the importance of libraries and literacy, which means that most of the time I am trying to reach the people not reading!  It is the reason I use pop culture and catchy songs in my shows and why at Stand-Up Librarian Designs I make purses and hats, not Kindle cases.  I keep hoping that maybe a joke, a cute purse, or a literary parody song encourages someone out there to grab a book or get a library card!  

Joining World Book Night as a Giver also seemed like a perfect time for me to head back to the comedy club.  Most of the time as a literary comedian, I perform at libraries or book events for librarians and book lovers, but I have missed the diversity of the audiences at comedy clubs (well, not the hecklers or drunks.)  In performing at a library fundraiser down in Sarasota back in January, I was reminded of McCurdy's Comedy Club.  It was one of the first places my friend and comedy mentor Dan Whitney, first performed as Larry the Cable Guy.

I don't talk about my journey into becoming a comedian or the "Stand-Up Librarian" very much (I am saving that story for my book), but I will tell you that one story has been the reason I keep going regardless of the obstacles put in my way.  It is called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and it is the book I will be giving away on Wednesday at the show.  

For reservations call 941-925-FUNY (3869) or visit McCurdysComedy.com.  McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre is located at 3333 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34234.  

Hope to see you there!

Cannot wait to give out my favorite book of all time:
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho!

I wanted to be a comedian because of
Dan "Larry the Cable Guy" Whitney.

While our comedy and talent is very different, Dan's work ethic
as a struggling comic in the 80's & 90's continues to inspire me.